Woman charged in Coffee slaying

Connie Sanders King

The fiancee of former Jo Dee Messina stage manager Thomas Colucci has been arrested in Florida in connection with his November 2012 slaying in Manchester, Tenn.

Connie Sanders King, 37, of Ormond Beach, Fla., was taken into custody early Tuesday at the Indian Motorcycles shop in Daytona Beach where she worked as an office manager, Coffee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Capt. Frank Watkins said late Wednesday.

She was arrested by Coffee County authorities working with authorities in Daytona Beach and Volusia County, Fla.

Connie Sanders King was engaged to Colucci and is the former wife of Troy King, 41, who in March was charged in the case with first-degree murder, felony murder and theft over $1,000, officials said. Troy King was taken into custody in Imperial Beach, Calif., and extradited to Tennessee on a governor's warrant.

Connie King is being held at the Volusia County Jail on $500,000 bond, Watkins said.

The Kings are accused in the Nov. 13, 2012, shooting of Colucci at his Maple Springs Road home in Manchester. After the call to authorities, Colucci was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds and Connie King was seen running down the street covered in blood, officials said.

She maintained at the time that she and Colucci had been attacked, authorities said.

Coffee County Detective Chad Partin said at the time of Troy King's arrest that he had been the primary suspect from the beginning, but investigators had not indicated Connie King as a suspect until her arrest.

Watkins said he couldn't go into details until Connie King was back in Tennessee and had been served the grand jury indictment issued June 11. Connie King should appear before a judge by Friday to say whether she will waive extradition, Watkins said.

Trip Hunt of Crew One productions in Nashville said in March that he had known Colucci for about nine years and noted that Colucci was well known and popular throughout the city.

Colucci, originally from Erial, N.J., worked with Messina's crew and was working with the band 311 when he was killed, Hunt said.

"We're one big family in this music industry," Hunt said in March. "It really took us to the side.

"The biggest thing is those two boys of his," he said. "They lost a great dad."

Colucci was "a great guy and just full of life," Hunt said.

Contact staff writer Ben Benton at 423-757-6569 or bbenton@timesfreepress.com.